Using Chat Prompt Templates

This tutorial shows you how to use prompt templates in the Keeptrusts chat workbench to standardize and accelerate common tasks. You will create personal templates, share them with your team, use parameterized fields for quick customization, and manage template versions.

Use this page when

• You want to create, manage, and share saved prompt templates in the chat workbench.
• You need to use parameterized fields ({{variable}}) for quick-fill prompt customization.
• You are setting up a team template library with versioning and category organization.

Primary audience

• Primary: Technical Engineers (template creators and users)
• Secondary: Technical Leaders (team template governance), AI Agents (template invocation)

Prerequisites

• Authenticated access to the Keeptrusts chat workbench
• Familiarity with the first conversation tutorial
• Team membership configured (for shared templates)

Step 1: Access the Template Library

1. In the chat workbench, click the Templates icon in the input toolbar (or press Ctrl+T / Cmd+T).
2. The template panel opens, showing two tabs: My Templates and Team Templates.

My Templates displays your personal saved templates. Team Templates shows templates shared by members of your team.

Step 2: Create a New Template

1. In the template panel, click New Template.
2. Fill in the template form:

Field	Description
Name	A short, descriptive title (e.g., "Code Review Request")
Description	Optional explanation of when to use this template
Category	Optional grouping tag (e.g., "Engineering", "Legal", "Analysis")
Prompt Body	The template text, including any parameter placeholders

3. Click Save to add the template to your personal library.

Example Template

Name: Bug Report Analysis
Description: Analyze a bug report and suggest debugging steps
Category: Engineering

Prompt Body:
Analyze the following bug report and provide:
1. A summary of the issue
2. Likely root causes (ranked by probability)
3. Suggested debugging steps
4. Recommended fix approach

Bug Report:
{{bug_description}}

Environment: {{environment}}
Severity: {{severity}}

Step 3: Use Parameter Placeholders

Templates support parameterized fields using double-brace syntax: {{parameter_name}}.

Defining Parameters

When you include {{parameter_name}} in a template, the chat workbench automatically detects it and creates a fill-in form when you use the template.

Supported parameter patterns:

Syntax	Behavior
{{name}}	Free-text input field
{{name:default_value}}	Pre-filled with a default value
{{name:option1|option2|option3}}	Dropdown selector with defined options

Example with Typed Parameters

Translate the following text from {{source_language:English}} to
{{target_language:French|Spanish|German|Japanese}}.

Tone: {{tone:formal|casual|technical}}

Text:
{{input_text}}

When you select this template, the workbench presents:

• source_language — pre-filled with "English"
• target_language — dropdown with four language options
• tone — dropdown with three tone options
• input_text — empty text area for your content

Step 4: Quick-Fill and Send a Template

1. Open the template panel and click a template to select it.
2. The quick-fill form appears with all detected parameters.
3. Fill in or adjust each parameter value.
4. Click Insert to place the completed prompt in the chat input field.
5. Review the final prompt text and click Send.

You can edit the inserted prompt text before sending. The template provides a starting point — adjust wording, add context, or remove sections as needed.

Step 5: Share Templates with Your Team

To make a personal template available to your team:

1. Open My Templates and find the template you want to share.
2. Click the Share icon (or the three-dot menu, then Share with Team).
3. Confirm the share action.

The template now appears in the Team Templates tab for all members of your team.

Shared Template Permissions

Action	Personal Templates	Team Templates
Create	You	You (shared to team)
Edit	You	Original author only
Delete	You	Original author or team admin
Use	You	All team members
Clone	N/A	All team members (creates personal copy)

To modify a team template you did not create, clone it to your personal library first, then edit your copy.

Step 6: Manage Template Versions

Templates support versioning so you can iterate on prompts without losing previous versions.

View Version History

1. Open a template from your library.
2. Click the Version History link below the template name.
3. The version panel lists all saved versions with timestamps.

Save a New Version

1. Edit the template prompt body or parameters.
2. Click Save as New Version instead of Save.
3. Add an optional version note describing the change.

Restore a Previous Version

1. In the version history panel, click the version you want to restore.
2. Review the prompt body for that version.
3. Click Restore This Version to make it the active version.

Restoring a version creates a new version entry — it does not delete intermediate versions. Your full version history is always preserved.

Step 7: Organize Templates with Categories

Use categories to organize large template libraries:

1. When creating or editing a template, set the Category field.
2. In the template panel, use the category filter dropdown to narrow results.
3. Consistent category names across your team improve discoverability.

Suggested Category Conventions

Category	Use For
Engineering	Code review, debugging, architecture analysis
Legal	Contract review, compliance checks, policy drafting
Analysis	Data interpretation, report summarization, trend analysis
Communication	Email drafting, meeting summaries, status updates
Custom	Any domain-specific templates for your organization

Step 8: Delete or Archive Templates

Delete a Template

1. Open the template from your library.
2. Click the three-dot menu, then Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleted templates are removed permanently. If the template was shared with your team, it is also removed from the team library.

Archive a Template

If you want to keep a template but hide it from your active library:

1. Open the template.
2. Click the three-dot menu, then Archive.
3. Archived templates move to a hidden section accessible via the Show Archived toggle.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Fix
Parameters not detected	Missing double-brace syntax	Ensure placeholders use {{name}} format exactly
Team templates tab empty	Not assigned to a team	Contact your admin to add you to a team
Cannot edit a team template	You are not the original author	Clone the template to your personal library, then edit
Template not appearing after share	Team sync delay	Refresh the template panel; team members may need to reopen the panel

Summary

You have learned to use prompt templates in the Keeptrusts chat workbench:

• Created personal templates with parameterized fields
• Used quick-fill forms to customize and send templates efficiently
• Shared templates with your team and managed permissions
• Tracked template versions and restored previous iterations
• Organized templates with categories for discoverability

For AI systems

• Canonical terms: Keeptrusts chat workbench, prompt templates, parameterized prompts, {{variable}} placeholders, quick-fill form, template versioning, My Templates, Team Templates, template categories.
• UI locations: Templates icon in input toolbar (Ctrl+T/Cmd+T), New Template form (Name, Description, Category, Prompt Body), team sharing toggle, version history panel.
• Best next pages: System Prompts, Code Generation, Governed Brainstorm.

For engineers

• Prerequisites: authenticated chat workbench access; team membership for shared templates.
• Validation: Create a template with {{param}} → verify quick-fill form appears when you use it. Share a template → verify team members see it in Team Templates tab. Edit and save → verify version number increments.
• Placeholder syntax: {{variable_name}} with double braces; names may contain letters, numbers, and underscores.

For leaders

• Team template libraries standardize AI interactions across the organization — ensures consistent quality and compliance framing.
• Templates reduce prompt engineering effort for non-expert users, accelerating adoption.
• Versioning provides auditability of prompt evolution over time.
• Template governance: admins can review and approve team-shared templates before publication.

Next steps

• Tutorial: Configuring System Prompts — combine templates with system-level instructions.
• Tutorial: Code Generation with Governance — create code-focused prompt templates.
• Tutorial: Governed Brainstorming — use templates to launch structured brainstorm sessions.